Top opening refrigerator device

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator is formed of a open-topped tank enclosed by heat insulating material and an exterior casing. The tank contains storage shelves and a cover closes its top opening. A vertically arranged support column is associated with the tank and, preferably, is positioned centrally of and extends upwardly out of the tank. Lifting means are incorporated into the support column for vertically displacing the cover and shelves of the tank. In a preferred arrangement the top of the tank is located at about table top level and additional storage shelves are positioned in a casing spaced above the tank. These storage shelves are movably mounted on the support column.

United States Patent Gehrmann [54] TOP OPENING REFRIGERATOR DEVICE [72]Inventor: Hasso Gehrmann, Bregenz, Austria [73] Assignee:Elektra-Bregenz GmbH, Bregenz/Vorarlberg, Austria 22 Filed: Jan. 26,1971 211 Appl.No.: 109,775

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 26, 1970 Austria ..13 A668/70 [52] U.S. Cl. ..62/378, 62/381, 62/453,

[51] Int. Cl ..F25d 25/00 [58] Field of Search ..62/378, 381, 453

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,060,435 11/1936 Vincent..62/378 2,096,256 10/1937 Mitchell ..62/378 2,456,429 12/1948 Parsons..62/378 2,518,764 8/ 1950 Dunlap ..62/378 2,563,208 8/ 1951 Bugenhagen..62/ 378 2,667,763 2/ 1954 Harris ..62/453 2,895,311 7/1959 Spalvins..62/378 Primary Examiner-William J. Wye Attorney-Toren and McGeady [57]ABSTRACT A refrigerator is formed of a open-topped tank enclosed by heatinsulating material and an'exterior casing. The tank contains storageshelves and a cover closes its top opening. A vertically arrangedsupport column is associated with the tank and, preferably, ispositioned centrally of and extends upwardly out of the tank. Liftingmeans are incorporated into the support column for vertically displacingthe cover and shelves of the tank. In a preferred arrangement the top ofthe tank is located at about table top level and additional storageshelves are positioned in a casing spaced above the tank. These storageshelves are movably mounted on the support column.

6 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure TOP OPENING REFRIGERATOR DEVICE SUMMARY OFTHE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a refrigerator devicesuch as normally employed in kitchen use for keeping foods and beveragesfresh and, more particularly, it is directed to a refrigerator formed byan opentopped tank containing storage shelves and having a cover for itsopening, and, in addition, a support member and lifting means forautomatically vertically displacing the cover and storage shelves fromthe tank.

Refrigerators are a conventional kitchen appliance and they come infloor standing models or they are built into a cabinet below table toplevel. In these known models the interior of the refrigerator isaccessible through a front door. When the front door on suchrefrigerators is opened, the cold air in the refrigerator can escapeunhindered. Further, it is considerably more difficult for a person toload or unload a refrigerator when it is located below table top levelor some of its shelves are below that height Accordingly, when access tothe interior of a refrigerator is required, it is preferable if itsshelves are located at a position above table top level which does notrequire any bending or the assumption of an awkward or difficultposition. However, as indicated above, even though a front opening dooris positioned above table top level, the cold air will escape when thedoor is opened. Another disadvantageous feature of refrigerators locatedabove table top level is that they occupy space which is often neededfor other kitchen uses.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention toovercome the difficulties experienced in the past and to provide arefrigerator having its storage space located below table top level, butwith its cover or door and storage shelves being vertically displaceableso that any loading or unloading operations can be accomplished abovetable top level.

Still another object of the invention is to combine other storageshelves spaced from and in alignment with the refrigerator whereby thestorage shelves can be vertically displaced into the same location asthe refrigerator shelfs for access.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, the refrigerator isprovided by an open-topped tank enclosed within heat insulating materialand a casing so that its top opening is located at approximately tabletop level. A support column and lifting means are associated with thetank so that its cover and storage shelfs can be lifted and loweredautomatically and access to the shelves is possible at a position abovetable top level. Further, since the shelves are lifted upwardly out ofthe tank, there is no risk that an excessive amount of cold air canescape from the refrigerator.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use,reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated and described a preferredembodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The drawing is a vertical crosssectional view of a combination refrigerator and storage shelf unitarranged in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the drawing a refrigerator ispositioned on the floor and a storage shelf unit is spaced above and in.

axial alignment with the refrigerator. The refrigerator consists of aopen-topped vat-shaped tank 1 having a circular cross section and spacedinwardly from an outer casing 2. Heat insulatingmaterial 3 is positionedin the space between the tank and the casing. Located within the tank invertically spaced relationship are a plurality of shelves 4, 4' whichare symmetrically arranged about the vertical axis of the tank. Theinterior 5 of the tank is divided into three superposed compartments,the top compartment containing the shelves 4, provides a normalrefrigerator space, below the top compartment and separated from it by awall 6 formed of heat insulating material is a freezer compartmentcontaining the shelf 4'. The lower-most compartment contains therequisite refrigerating equipment for the appliance. Further, each ofthe upper compartment 5 and the freezer compartment 6 contains its ownevaporator 8.

Coaxial with the vertical axis 9 of the tank 1 is a tubular verticallyarranged hollow column 10 within which a lifting mechanism 12 ispositioned, such as a lifting cable. A support member 11 isconcentrically disposed about the support column 10 and is connected tothe lifting device 12 so that it can be raised and lowered along thecolumn. Attached to and extending transversely of the upper end of thesupport member 11 is a cover 14 which provides a closure for the topopen ing in the tank 1. In addition to the cover 14 the shelves 4, 4'are secured to the support member 11 for vertical displacement into andout of the tank. As indicated in the drawing, the support member 11consists of two parts 11', 11", with the radially inner part 11' beingconnected to the lifting mechanism and the radially outer part 11'', towhich the cover 14 and the shelves are attached being rotatably mountedrelative to the inner part 11'. To prevent heat conduction along thesupport column 10, it is insulated from the support member 11.

As indicated in phantom lines in the drawing, the support member 11along with the shelves, 4, 4' and the cover 14 can be lifted upwardlyout of the tank 1 so that all of the shelves are accessible at alocation above table top level, that is, the level indicated byreference numeral 13. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the heightof the column 10 is in excess of the height required for verticallydisplacing the cover and shelves out of the tank and the upper end ofthe column is secured to the ceiling 15 directly above the tank.

For full utilization of the space about the upper end of the supportcolumn 10, an axially extending casing 16 is symmetrically arrangedabout the column and the casing is open at its bottom. Within the casing16 a plurality of superposed shelves 17, 17 are arranged for verticalmovement into and out of the casing in the same manner as the shelveswithin the tank 1. A support member 18 is provided about the column 10for the shelves 17, 17 having the same general construction as thesupport member 11 within the refrigerator, however, there is no heatinsulation provided between the support member and the column since thecasing and its shelves are used for normal storage purposes and do notincorporate any refrigeration equipment. As can be appreciated from thedrawing, the vertical dimension of the support member 18 and itsattached shelves 17, 17' is such that the entire arrangement can beretracted into the casing 16 with the bottom shelf 17 beingsubstantially flush with the bottom edge 19 of the casing so that thebottom shelf 17 formsa closure for the lower open end of the casing. Theradially inner portion of bottom shelf 17 forms a recess 20 about thesupport column in which lamps 21 are arranged. Further, the upper end ofthe support column 10 extends radially outwardly at the ceiling andprovides a reflector for a fluorescent lamp 22 positioned within arecess formed in the upper end of the casing 16. As indicated, thefluorescent lamp 22 is preferably circular.

Another advantageous feature of the arrangement is the provision ofcondenser coils 23 secured, preferably by soldering, on the interiorsurface of the casing 2.

The following is a description of the manner of operation of thecombination kitchen unit shown in the drawing.

It should be noted that the lifting device 12 has two separateindependent lifting mechanisms, one for the support 11, shelves 4, 4'and cover 14, and theother for the support 18 and the shelves 17 17located at the upper end of the support column 10. The two liftingmechanisms are operated over a suitable switching and control device andthey are capable of individually lifting and lowering the two differentvertically displaceable units so that they can be positioned in aparticularly accessible location above table top level. Further, due tothe relative rotatability of the outer part of the support members 11and 18 about the inner part, the shelves can be rotated about thevertical column so that each shelf is accessible from a single location.In addition to providing individual vertical displacement of thedifferent shelves, the switching and control device is ar ranged to stopthe vertical movement of the shelves so that they do not interfere withor obstruct one another. The space saving feature of the invention canbe readily appreciated since the space about the column 10 above tablelevel can be maintained open and free for other kitchen uses except whenthe shelves of the refrigerator are lifted upwardly or the storageshelves are lowered downwardly to a position where they are easilyaccessi ble.

in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and described above, thesupport column 10 is positioned centrally within the tank 1 and throughthe casing 16, however, it would be possible to locate the supportcolumn in an eccentric position or to replace the support column withtwo such columns. in these alternative arrangements it would be possibleto provide the relative rotatability between the inner and outer partsof the support member located on the support column.

Further, though the refrigerator is shown mounted on the floor, it wouldbe possible to locate it at the upper end of the support column so thatthe would be reversed. However, the embodiment shown in refrigeratedstorage spaces and the equipment space the drawing is preferred since itprovides the better arrangement for retaining cold air within therefrigerator when its cover and shelves are displaced vertically.

What is claimed is:

1. A kitchen appliance for refrigerating food and beverages including anupwardly extending tank closed at its lateral surfaces and at one endsurface and open at its oppositely disposed end surface, shelvespositioned within said tank, a cover forming a closure for the openingin the end surface of said tank, and means for providing refrigeratedconditions within said tank, wherein the improvement comprises supportmeans associated with said tank, said support means including anupwardly extending stationary column and lifting means associated withsaid column, said column extending through said tank and passing throughsaid shelves and cover, said column having a length at least equal totwice the distance between said cover and said shelf spaced mostremotely from said cover, said cover and shelves secured to said supportmeans for displacement between a first position with said shelveslocated within said tank and said cover closing the opening into saidtank and a second position with said cover and shelves displacedoutwardly from said tank, a stationary casing arranged about and mountedon said support column and spaced axially along said column from saidtank, said casing closed at its lateral and end surface more remote fromsaid tank and open at its end surface closer to said tank, said open endof said casing spaced from the open end of said tank by a distance atleast equal to the distance between said cover and said shelf mostremotely spaced from said cover, and a plurality of storage shelvesmovably supported on said column and spaced along said column from saidtank,said storage shelves connected to said lifting means fordisplacement between a first position located within said casing and asecond position displaced along said column toward said tank with saidstorage shelves moved outwardly from said casing.

2. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said tank ispositioned at the lower end of said column and said casing is locatedadjacent the upper end of said column.

3. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said supportcolumn is hollow and concentrically arranged about the central axis ofsaid tank, and said support means includes a first support member forsaid cover and shelves mounted for axial displacement on said column,and a second support member for said storage shelves mounted for axialdisplacement on said column.

4. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said supportcolumn is fixed at its upper end such as to the ceiling of the roomcontaining the appliance.

5. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 3, wherein each saidsupport member comprises a first part secured to said lifting means anda second part in interengagement with said first part for supporting oneof said cover and shelves and said storage shelves, and said second partis rotatable relative to said first part about the central axis of saidtank.

6. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 1, wherein means withinsaid tank and associated with said shelves for dividing said tank into arefrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment.

1. A kitchen appliance for refrigerating food and beverages including anupwardly extending tank closed at its lateral surfaces and at one endsurface and open at its oppositely disposed end surface, shelvespositioned within said tank, a cover forming a closure for the openingin the end surface of said tank, and means for providing refrigeratedconditions within said tank, wherein the improvement comprises supportmeans associated with said tank, said support means including anupwardly extending stationary column and liftiNg means associated withsaid column, said column extending through said tank and passing throughsaid shelves and cover, said column having a length at least equal totwice the distance between said cover and said shelf spaced mostremotely from said cover, said cover and shelves secured to said supportmeans for displacement between a first position with said shelveslocated within said tank and said cover closing the opening into saidtank and a second position with said cover and shelves displacedoutwardly from said tank, a stationary casing arranged about and mountedon said support column and spaced axially along said column from saidtank, said casing closed at its lateral and end surface more remote fromsaid tank and open at its end surface closer to said tank, said open endof said casing spaced from the open end of said tank by a distance atleast equal to the distance between said cover and said shelf mostremotely spaced from said cover, and a plurality of storage shelvesmovably supported on said column and spaced along said column from saidtank,said storage shelves connected to said lifting means fordisplacement between a first position located within said casing and asecond position displaced along said column toward said tank with saidstorage shelves moved outwardly from said casing.
 2. A kitchenappliance, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said tank is positioned atthe lower end of said column and said casing is located adjacent theupper end of said column.
 3. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim2, wherein said support column is hollow and concentrically arrangedabout the central axis of said tank, and said support means includes afirst support member for said cover and shelves mounted for axialdisplacement on said column, and a second support member for saidstorage shelves mounted for axial displacement on said column.
 4. Akitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said support columnis fixed at its upper end such as to the ceiling of the room containingthe appliance.
 5. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim 3, whereineach said support member comprises a first part secured to said liftingmeans and a second part in interengagement with said first part forsupporting one of said cover and shelves and said storage shelves, andsaid second part is rotatable relative to said first part about thecentral axis of said tank.
 6. A kitchen appliance, as set forth in claim1, wherein means within said tank and associated with said shelves fordividing said tank into a refrigerating compartment and a freezingcompartment.